Jammu: Rs 30 lakh seized in cash from Rohingya jhuggi, three held

The cash was recovered during a raid on the jhuggi following a tip-off, police sources said, adding that Rs 27 lakh of the seized currency was in Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes, while the remaining were in notes of lesser denomination.

This is the first time such a huge amount in cash has been recovered from a Rohingya family who, after their migration from Myanmar, live in jhuggis and do small-time jobs. (Representational)

POLICE on Thursday picked up for questioning three members of a Rohingya family following the recovery of cash worth nearly Rs 30 lakh from a jhuggi in Channi Himmat area of Jammu city.

The cash was recovered during a raid on the jhuggi following a tip-off, police sources said, adding that Rs 27 lakh of the seized currency was in Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes, while the remaining were in notes of lesser denomination.

This is the first time such a huge amount in cash has been recovered from a Rohingya family who, after their migration from Myanmar, live in jhuggis and do small-time jobs.

The sources said those apprehended have told the police that the cash belonged to Ismayil and Noor Alam, both aged between 19 and 21 years. They have told police that Ismayil and Noor Alam went to Bangladesh two-three days ago, the sources said.

The apprehended persons could not explain how the duo can travel to Bangladesh without valid passports, said the sources, adding that the youths have been living in Jammu for five-six years.

The sources said the seized cash was kept in a plastic container concealed under scrap and in a suitcase. The sources said police are probing various possibilities, including hawala money to fund terror activity, human trafficking from Myanmar, drugs or theft.

In view of the growing number of Rohingya in the state, various organisations, including the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, have been demanding their deportation, saying that they were a security threat.